SpaceX To Launch Turkmenistan's First Satellite

SpaceX announced today that it will be launching Turkmenistan's first satellite, having been awarded a contract from Thales Alenia Space.

The satellite is for the country's state run communications system.
Thales Alenia Space was awarded the contract to build the satellite in November 2011. The satellite is built on the company's Spacebus 4000 platform, which has an expected lifespan of 15 years.

The satellite will be launched in late 2014 or early 2015 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and will be delivered into geostationary orbit.

The satellite was originally going to be delivered into orbit by a Chinese Long March rocket. However, according to a report in SpaceNews.com, U.S. export control rules cover some of the components in the satellite. The company has been embroiled in a dispute with the State Department since early last year over whether its satellites being launched in China are covered by U.S. export control rules.

Recently, Congress passed and the Obama Administration signed legislation easing those export control rules. However, regulations implementing that legislation are still in process. So Thales Alenia Space had to look elsewhere besides China for a launch platform. According to SpaceNews.com, the two final candidates for the launch were the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the ESA's Ariane 5 ECA.

"We appreciate Thales’ confidence in our ability to safely deliver Turkmenistan’s first satellite to orbit," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO in a press release. "We are pleased to see the market expand with new entrants, and SpaceX looks forward to leveraging the world’s most reliable and advanced rockets for customers across the globe."